KERATOPLASTY AND SCLERAL SUTURED POSTERIO R CHAMBER OR ANTERIOR-CHAMBER LENS - COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF GRAFT-SURVIVAL AND ENDOTHELIAL-CELL LOSS

Purpose We studied the percentage of graft survival and endothelial ce ll loss after penetrating keratoplasty with scleral sutured posterior chamber lens compared with secondary anterior chamber lens. Methods Th e study concerned 46 patients divided into two groups: group I: 26 cas es with scleral sutured posterior chamber lens; group II: 20 cases wit h anterior chamber lens. The postoperative Kaplan-Meir curve survival was established and cell loss assessed between graft cell density and postoperative cell density according to Sperling's method. Results Aft er one year, cell loss was less important in group I (69.23%) than in group II (95%). However, after the first postoperative year, this diff erence decreases and becomes very slight at the fourth postoperative y ear. The percentage of cell loss during the first year is 44.6% in gro up I and is 41.8% in group II. After the first year, the percentage of annual cell loss is 3% in group I and ranges between 6 and 8% in grou p II. Conclusions Except for age, there was no significant difference between the two groups preoperatively. This, it seems that the high po stoperative intra-ocular pressure, more frequent in group I, was a poo r prognosis factor for graft survival. After one year, results were si milar in the two groups for graft survival, but in group I, the annual percentage cell loss was lower.